Mellen



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

11. P. MELLEN. APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING WOOD.

Patented M3515, 1868.

m: uonms PETER: co mom-Erma, WASHINGTON, n. c.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. I

v D.P.MELL EN. APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING WOOD.

Patented May 5, 1868.

ilmssea- THE uonms PETERS ca. momuruo. WhSl-HNGTQN. my C.

ditch tat rs gaunt @ffig DUSTIN FrhIELLE-N, OF MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

Letters Patent No. 77,636, dated May 5, 1868.

IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR nrsrrrune PINE woos.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, DUSTIN F. MELLEN, of Manchester, in the county of Hillsborough, and State of New Hampshire, have invented a new and useful Apparatus for the Destructive Distillation of Pitch-Pine Wood, for the production of turpentine, rosin, pyroligncous acid, Ste; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, in which- Figure 1 is a front end view of the retort and furnaces.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same, with condenser annexed.

Figure 3 is a section on line 1 1, fig. 2..

Figure 4 is a section on line 2 2, fig. 1.

Figure 5 is a front endview of the agitator.

Figure 6 is a top view of the same.

Figure 7 is a section in line 3 3, fig. 5.-

Figure 8 is a section in line 4 4, fig. 6.

Figure 9 is a section in line 5 5, fig. 6.

Figure 10 is a front side elevation of the still, with its condenser.

Figure 11 is a vertical section through the centre of the still.

Figure 12 is a section in line 6 6 6,-fig. 11. I

A is the main cylinder or retort, in which the wood is charred, and A A two wood holding cylinders, precisely alike, which are mounted upon trucks, a a, and run in and out of the main cylinder A, nponrailroadtracks a. a. Both heads of said cylinders N are perforated all over, asshown in the drawings, and the upper half, or that part above a horizontal plane through the centre, is perforated in like manner.

That part of the bottom which is immediately over the pitch-basin is also perforated, but the sides of the lower section are whole, or unpcrforated, to permit the resin and pitch to run down to the bottom, and through the bottom perforations to the pitch-basin. There may be one, two, or more wood-holding cylinders A to one main cylinder. I make said cylinders A"large enough to hoid about half a cord of wood each, but their dimensions may, of course, be varied.

B B are two fire-furnaces, on each side of the main cylinder A, and B B the ash-pits. The flame and heat from the furnaces are carried all around the main cylinder by means of two sets or series of flues, from each furnhce, ascending lines 6, and descending fines b. The ascending fines bconnect with two parallel main fines, B over the main cylinder, A, and extending the whole length thereof, and the descending flues, b, connect with two similar main flues, 13, under said main cylinder A; and said'upper and lower main flues carry off the smoke and other products of combustion to the chimney. Thus it will be seen that the retort or main cylinder A is completely surrounded, from end to end, by the flame and heatcd products of combustion, passing from the furnaces to the chimney. Each of the lines 6 and b is provided with a damper, I), to regulate the admission of heat from the furnace. y

C C are the pitch-basinsgone under each of the perforated cylinders, A, and within the main cylinder, A. Said pitch-basins are made in the form of shallow hoppers, so that the pitch will be conducted to a short pipe, 0, in the centre, and thencethrough a cook or gate, c, to the pitch-tank,C. Said pitch-tank, O',-is a cylinder, of the same length as the main cylinder A, and lies under the same, and parallel therewith. It receives the pitch and other heavy products which run from the perforated cylinders A through the pitch-basins C. In the rear end of said pitch-tank arc'three cocks, 1, 2, 3, through which its contents are drawn oil, consisting of resin, pitch, andltar; the best quality being drawn through the upper, cock 1, the second best through 2, and the poorest through 3.

The pitch-basins are made with double bottoms, so as to leave a water-space, 0', under the bottom plate, which receives the pitch.

D is a water-pipe, which conveys cold water from a suitable head through supply-pipe, d, fig. 4, to the waterapace 0, under the pitch-basin, and D is a waste-pipe, by which the water is'carried off after passing through said water-space; By this means a constant current of water is made to pass through said water-space 0 to modify the heat of the basin, and prevent the pitch from vaporizing. The turpentine and acid extracted from the wood are vaporized, and pass through the perforations in the cylinder A, and-are carried by the pipe E to the condenser E. The turpentine, acid, and water pass off through the pipe e to a receiver, and the gas ascends through pipe e. I

H is a furnace under the pitch-tank, for boiling or cooking the pitch H the ash-pit under said furnace. i

when the pitch is running from the wood, the current'of water under the pitch-basins preven ts the pitch from vaporizing, and the cocks or gates a, between the pitch-basin and pitch-tank, are left open. But as soon as-the pitch has been mainly extracted from the wood, I close the gates c, and increase the heat in the retort, so as to char the wood. While'the wood is, thus being charred, all the products extracted therefrom are vaporized, and pass over tothe condenser. 1

F is the agitator, forstirring and mining the products from the condenser E, with the chemicals for purifying and deodorizing the same. This agitator consists of a cylinder, F, in which there is a revolving centreshaft, F, provided with numerous arms or heaters,f. These heaters twist, similarly to the wings of a screwpropeller, so that when rotated they will force the liquid contents towards the end of the cylinder in which the discharge-pipes It and h are placed. The heaters are rotated by means of a cogwheel, g, on the centre-shaft F, and a pinion, 9, within the cylinder F. The power is applied to a pulley, G, outside of the cylinder F, and on the same shaft with the pinion g.' i v I is a man-hole, for introducing the chemicals into the agitator, and 2', t", and 2' are cocks for introducing the products from the condenser E, being connected by pipes with the receiver, into which the contents of I said condenser are discharged. After the contents within the agitator have become thoroughly mixed and settled, they are drawn ofi through cocks h and h, the water, tar, and chemicals being drawn through the lower cook, it, and the turpentine or acid, whichever maybe running, through the upper cock, 7:, into the proper receiver. From the receiver the turpentine or acid, as the case may be, is conducted to the still, J, arid their distilled. The still, J, has a double wall, up to the point j, forming an annular fire-space, j, all around the still. i i i K is the furnace, under the centre of the still, to which fuel is introduccd through the door K. From the bottom of the still a number of bent fire-fines, L, pass toiand connect with the annular fire-space j, around the still, so that the flame andheat from the furnace will not only rise directly fromthe. furnace into said annular fire-space, but a portion will pass through said bent fiues, within the still, into said annular fire-space, at about the water-line in the still.

L is an annular flue, around the upper part of the fire-space j, and Zare flues, opening from said annular fire-spacey" into said annular flue L, from which the smoke and other products of combustion pass off to the chimney. A pipe, at, from the centre of the bottom of the still, carries off the water and other refuse products of distillation.

The volatile products of. distillation pass over, through pipeni, to the condenser O, which is an ordinary before it is discharged therefrom, and

worm-condenser, and are discharged therefrom through discharge-pipe p.

The retort, with its condenser and receiver, the agitator, with its receiver, and the still, are all located on i\ difi'erent levels, so that liquids will run by their own gravity from the retort to the still, without pumping. f

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- 1. In combination with the cylindrical retort A and the furnaces B, the segmental llucs b and b, with the upper and lower-main flues,l3 and B, constructed and arranged substantially as and for the pupose set forth. 2. In combination with a retort for the destructive distillation of resinous wood, I claim the pitch-basin C, with water-space under the same for conveying a current of cold water to modify the heat of the pitch-basin, substantially as described. p I

3. In combination with the cylindrical retort A, and wood-holding perforated cylinders A, or their equiv- -alents, I claim the pitch-basins C, located within the main cylinder A, substantially as described.

4. In combination with the retort A, I claim a water-pipe or pipes, so arranged as to convey a current of water into and through said retort, to prevent the pitch from being vaporized therein.

5. In combination with the retort A andpitch-tank C, or their equivalents, I claim a cool: or gate, or the. equivalent thereof, between the retort and the pitch-tank, for the purpose of closing the connection between them while the wood is being charred, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In combination with the still and furnace, I claim the annular fire-chamber j, the annular flue L, with k connecting-fines l, constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In combination with the annular fire-chamberj, I claim the fire-fines or tubes L, passing from the furnacc, through the still, to said annular firc-chamber, substantially as described.

8. In combination with the rotating agitator, I claim the cog-wheel g, and pinion g, or equivalent gearing, enclosed in the cylinder F, substantially as and for thc purposc described.

' t DUSTINVF. MELLEN. J

Witnesses:

Jos. L. Cooiuns, J. J. Ccoarns. 

